Faculty members discuss innovation, entrepreneurship

A five-day faculty development programme (FDP) on innovation and entrepreneurship, organised by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell, was inaugurated on Monday at IIT-Delhi’s Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) at Sonepat.

The programme was designed to equip faculty members with the mindset and tools to foster entrepreneurial thinking and start-up culture in their respective institutions.

Dr Nikhil Agarwal, MD, Foundation for Innovation Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT-Delhi, was the chief guest at the inaugural session of the programme.

In his keynote address, Dr Agarwal emphasised the pivotal role of faculty in nurturing innovation among students. He highlighted the need to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, combining elements such as growth mindset, achievement motivation and level-5 leadership, to drive institutional transformation. “Faculty are the catalysts of change. Empowering them with entrepreneurial competencies will significantly boost the innovation ecosystem in academic institutions,” he said.

Day 1 also featured interactive sessions on problem identification and creative ideation techniques, led by Manveen Singh Chadha, Senior Manager, Incubation, FITT, IIT-Delhi.

Faculty members engaged in reflective exercises and workshops focused on converting real-world problems into viable entrepreneurial opportunities.

“This initiative will significantly boost the start-up ecosystem in academic institutions. Participants are gaining valuable knowledge, which I am confident they will implement effectively in their respective institutions,” CEO Alok Pandey said.

The FDP is set continue over the next four days with sessions covering customer discovery, business models, go-to-market strategies, funding and intellectual property.